1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid jet scalpel and a method for operating a liquid jet scalpel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Liquid jet scalpels are used in the medical sector, e.g. in water jet surgery.
Water jet surgery, which surgeons tend to use ever more frequently, offers the possibility to sever soft tissue in a selective manner. Thus, for instance, it is rendered possible to sever liver tissue while blood vessels and nerves will be left undamaged. For severing the tissue, a nozzle, discharging water at high pressure, will be moved along the cutting path at a small distance from the surface of the tissue. The soft tissue will be washed off and removed by suction; the blood vessels and the nerves remain undamaged but now form unprotected bridges between the parts of organs which are to be severed. In case that also the nerves and blood vessels shall be severed, this will require an additional working step in which, e.g. with the aid of an additional tool (e.g. electric scalpel or scissors), the remaining strands will be cut off in a well-aimed manner. If blood vessels have to be severed, it is necessitated to interrupt the blood flow (e.g. by use of an electric scalpel or clamps) prior to performing the cutting. As of yet, the entire intervention has been performed exclusively under visual control.
When using a liquid jet scalpel, it may undesirably happen that vessels are damaged by the nozzle or the instrument shaft. In case that these vessels are blood vessels, the resultant bleeding may drastically impair the visibility in the area of the surgical intervention. Further, the bleeding may cause a premature decrease of the blood flow through an organ part that is to be severed.
It is an object of the invention to provide a liquid jet scalpel and a method for operating the same which make it possible to avoid damage to the tissue.